gift of tongues

noun phrase

: a divinely granted gift or talent identified by ecstatic, usually unintelligible speech see also tongue entry 1 sense 4c

Word History

Etymology

from the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:1–13

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gift of tongues was in 1560

Dictionary Entries Near gift of tongues

gift of gab

gift of tongues

gift registry

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gift of tongues.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gift%20of%20tongues. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on gift of tongues

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gift of tongues

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
collage with pinking shears decanter bustle sculling on a purple background
Name That Thing MegaQuiz: Vol. 5 Test your visual vocabulary!